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TOLTECAYOTL CEREMONY IN 
PASADENA A Dancing 


The beat of 6 powerful drums mightily 
resounded as up to 200 Aztec dancers in full 
regalia performed the Toltecayotl ceremony at 
Pasadena’s Villa Parke on Saturday afternoon,
July 25.

 Toltecayotl, is a Nahuatl word, which is 
synonymous with the Toltec Tribe and 
symbolizes the sum total of the wisdom of 
their elders, in the areas of the arts, spirituality, 
and philosophy. The ceremony is designed to 
bring together families, children, elders and 
the dance groups in a spirit of dignity, respect, 
and cultural pride. 

The dancing began in the 
gymnasium when it was 
nearly 100 degrees f. outside, 
with fully-feathered dancers 
spinning and turning with 
the beat of the drums in the 
middle. “At powwows, it is 
common for the dancers to 
follow the drummers, but 
at this event, the dancers 
are actually leading the 
drummers,” says Courage 
Escamilla, one of the helpers-
servers of the event. 

As the dancers continued non-stopfor hours, Courage would artfully 
walk through the dynamically-
moving crowd and offer water, 
watermelon and melon pieces to 
keep everyone hydrated. 

This was the annual Toltecayotl 

ceremony conducted by the dance 

group Yankuititl (meaning “new 

fire”), who have been working 

together for 36 years. The annual 

public event is intended to honor 

the land, to honor those who have 

come before, and to honor those who 

are in attendance. “The Toltecayotl is 

an ancestral memory that lives through 

our dance tradition” says Maggie 

Calderon, the capitana of Yankuititl, 

who practices Aztec traditions. “Plus,

keep in mind that these dances are a 

form of prayer, and are dedicated to 

our community,” says Caldero.

 Courage pointed out that the term 
“Aztec dancer” has become a catchall 
word for the many dance groups 
that have originated in Mexico. “In 
fact,” he stated, “the dancers come 
from many different backgrounds, 
such as Nahua, Maya, Zapotec, 

Mixtec, Otomi, Totonac,
Tzotzil, Mazahua, Mazatec,
Purepecha, Chol, Huastec,
Raramuri -Tarahumara,
Chontal, Huichol, Yaqui, and 
more.” (Courage is Raramuiri-
Tarahumara). 

“It’s a misnomer to think that 
the most popular tradition in 
Mexico was the Aztecs,” added 
Courage. “Historically, there 

were 68 distinct 
indig enous 
languages in 
Mexico, with more 
native speakers in 
Mexico today than 
there are in the 
U.S.” 

The dancers 
eventually moved 
outside around 

6:30 p.m., and 
danced on the 
north lawn until 
about 8 p.m. 
D 


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